Reviews

Q. We're thinking of revising our collection development policy to require locating a review before making a purchase decision. What percentage of books actually get reviewed?

A. According to figures compiled by the R.R.Bowker Company, American book production reached a record-setting level of 190,078 new titles and editions published in 2004, the latest year for which we have figures. Adult fiction titles and new editions increased nearly 60%.

By contrast, Book Review Index for 2004 lists references to 135,500 reviews for just 81,000 titles, or about 42% of the total output. That number, though, is for all types of reviews, not just the trade reviews a public library would depend on.

Booklist, published by the American Library Association, publishes about 8,000 reviews a year for all types of materials, or about 15% of the number of publications submitted for review.

There are numerous Sources of Reviews though some will be appropriate only for more specialized collections.